Cliffhanger
by JaySand
Summary: An apprentice named Branchpaw sturggles to become a warrior, meanwhile, his mentor is harsh and cruel. This story will not have any further chapters, but if you wish, you may continue the story on your own and write your own second chapter for it, as long as you give me credit.
1. Chapter 1

"Branchpaw! Hurry up, you slow hedgehog!" Creekwhisker called from the distance. Branchpaw was in GrassClan's forest, trying to keep up with his mentor, Creekwhisker.

"I can't run as fast as you!" Branchpaw yelled through his gasps. "S-slow down a bit!" Instantly, Creekwhisker sped to a stop, and turned her head to look at her apprentice. From the look on her face, Branchpaw could tell he had done something wrong. He fell silent. Creekwhisker slowly padded back towards him, her expression furious. Branchpaw's tail and ears drooped, and his body trembled.

"_What. Did. You. Just. Tell. Me. To. Do?" _Creekwhisker hissed.

"I-I..." Branchpaw was lost for words. Afraid, he took a step away from his mentor, and as a result, she took a step closer to him.

"Speak!" she commanded.

"I asked you to slow down a bit so that I could catch up," he meowed softly, trying to seem confident.

"You did not ask me. You _told _me. That is unacceptable. What are you, Branchpaw?"

Branchpaw had been asked this question many times before. "A-an apprentice," his voice was hardly a whisper.

"And who am I?" Creekwhisker demanded.

"My m-mentor."

"So who is in control, Branchpaw, me or you? Who is allowed to tell the other what to do?"

"You are, Creekwhisker."

"Then remember that and don't tell me what to do _ever_ again." With that, Creekwhisker trotted off ahead of Branchpaw. He reluculantly followed. As they walked in silence, Branchpaw noticed that they had passed Training Hollow, which was the place that Creekwhisker was going to take him.

"C-Creekwhisker?" he broke the silence. "I thought we were going to go to Training Hollow?"

Creekwhisker turned her head. Branchpaw froze in fear. "Not anymore," she meowed through gritted teeth. "Now I'm taking you somewhere else. No more questions!" she spat. Branchpaw clamped his jaws shut and willed them not to open again. At last, they reached the river, the border between GrassClan and StoneClan's territory. There was a fat log stretching over the river, a pathway so that GrassClan cats could easily get to the Gathering Place on Gathering night.

"Stop," Creekwhisker ordered. Branchpaw did. Creekwhisker turned around, her tail nearly touching the edge before the river.

"Branchpaw." she mewed softly, her anger seeming to fade away. "Sootstar received a prophecy the night you were born. A StarClan cat informed him of the future. That _you, _Branchpaw, would be the next leader of GrassClan. As his deputy, he told me about this prophecy."

_What? Me? Why me? Is it true? I'm going to be the next leader? _Branchpaw wished he ask his mentor these questions, but he could not, due to her orders.

"We're crossing the river, now. You go first," Creekwhisker gently nudged Branchpaw over to the log. He slowly but surely began to cross it, his heart punding over the news that had just been delivered to him. He didn't even question why Creekwhisker was bringing him into When he was about halfway across the log and Creekwhisker was following, she began to speak again. The calmness and kindness in her voice suddenly dropped.

"Do you know what this prophecy means to me? Do you know, Branchpaw?It brings me great disappointment. GrassClan will never survive with _you _as it's leader. So I simply cannot let that happen." Without any warning, Creekwhisker shoved Branchpaw off of the log into the rushing water where he would surely drown. He grasped onto the bottom of the log, and his claws dug into the wood. He hung over the water, but he could not hold on for long.

Creekwhisker bent down and stared into Branchpaw's eyes. "Pathetic," she hissed. She began to detach Branchpaw's claws from the log. He would soon fall into the river. Terror ran through Branchpaw's entire body, terror he had not ever felt before. Branchpaw could not beleive it. It was a nightmare come to life.

His mentor was trying to kill him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Okay, I know I said I wouldn't continue this and that I would let other people do that themselves if they choose, but I came up with a really good ending to this story and I couldn't resist posting it. So, I will be posting a few more chapters of this story, but only a few. Anybody who wants to may still write a fanfiction that continues from chapter 1 and shows how they think the story should have ended. **

Branchpaw clung onto the log above him. Creekwhisker looked down on him, her eyes betraying nothing. Branchpaw felt the cold mist clinging to his feet, which were just mouse-lengths away from the ice-cold river. His claws were slowly sliding away from the log, his grasp weak. The end seemed to be edging closer and closer. Branchpaw felt as though he was already joining StarClan.

_I don't want this! I want to become a warrior, to live my life! Why must Creekwhisker spoil this for me! Why did StarClan have to give Sootstar this stupid prophecy about me becoming leader! It's all going to be over too soon! If I'm destined to become leader, than why is it that I'm about to die now? _Branchpaw longed for the strength he needed to lift himself up and escape this situation. But he had only been an apprentice for a mere two moons and Creekwhisker had taught him little skill, she had only taught him about loyalty and power and who to obey and who not to. _Was she planning this from the moment I became an apprentice? Was she trying to make me weak so that I would be easy to kill in a way that would leave no evidence? Or was she planning this from the moment she heard about the prophecy? Would she have killed me wether she had been my mentor or not? Or was Sootstar in on this the whole time? Did he make me Creekwhisker's apprentice so that it would be easier for her to kill me? Was he also disgusted by the idea of me being the next leader? _All these thoughts flashed through Branchpaw's head in a heartbeat. He looked back up at Creekwhisker.

"Please!" he begged. "Don't do this, Creekwhisker! If you let me go, I-I'll leave the Clan! That way I won't be able to become leader! Please, Creekwhisker! I never wanted this! i never asked for a prophecy about myself!" Branchpaw felt hopeless. His life was in Creekwhisker's paws, and she was about to destroy it.

Creekwhisker gazed coldly at her apprentice. She liked this feeling, this feeling of power. Branchpaw's life was her property. She end it if she wanted to, or she could let him live. _Manipulation is one of the greatest weapons any creature can weild, _Creekwhisker thought. _Only a few moments ago Branchpaw had full control over his own safety and his own life. But the simple act of me pushing him off the log has turned that all around. He is weak, and defenseless. _

"Creekwhisker, don't you value young lives? You have lived so much longer than I have, and I am yet to reach your achievements! Surely the life of a cat who has had very luttle fortune must mean something to you! You're better than this, Creekwhisker! If you let me live, I promise I'll t-" Branchpaw's pleadings did nothing to change the descision that had been in Creekwhisker's mind for many moons. It only made her feel all the more powerful, the fact that Branchpaw could do nothing to protect the life he owned, and she was the only one who could do anything. Creekwhisker never found out what Branchpaw was about to offer. She was so sure it would mean nothing. Before he could finish his sentence, Creekwhisker grabbed onto his paws and pulled them out of the log. Without a second thought, she let go, allowing Branchpaw to wail in terror as he plummeted down into the waves. Creekwhisker watched him sink below the surface and drown, helplessly thrashing and attemtping to resurface his head. When she could no longer hear his cries or see the thrashing body under the water, Creekwhisker knew her work was done. As she padded back to camp, she felt no pleasure or triumph, yet she felt no remorse or regret. She was emotionless, her heart as hard and cold as a heavy rock. Creekwhisker couldn't remeber the last time she had felt anything, other than cold ambition and ferice loyalty to her Clan. Creekwhisker had no respect for the warrior code, but she did what she beleived was best for GrassClan and what would help her Clan reach it's greatest, so that one day, she would become leader. Killing Branchpaw was one of those things.

As she neared GrassClan's camp, which was a very small, tight clearing in the forest which was filled with burrows, Creekwhisker stopped, and planned what she would say. When she was ready, she sped into GrassClan's camp, surprising all the cats who were there.

"Sootstar!" she cried out in fake terror. Sootstar, their old gray leader, heaved himself up from where he was sitting on the fallen tree which he used to call meetings. He quickly made his way over to Creekwhisker.

"It's B-ranchpaw! We were going to the Training Hollow, and then he disappeared behind me! I looked around for him and discovered that he had scented a fox cub in our territory and was trying to fight it! It was quite a large fox cub, and while I tried to help Branchpaw, the cub killed him! I killed the cub after that, and I had no choice but to dump both of their bodies into the river, for I couldn't carry them here and I didn't want to leave Branchpaw's body to be eaten by vultures. He's gone, Sootstar. Branchpaw has joined StarClan," she lied.

Sorrow filled Sootstar's eyes. "We will sit a vigil for him tonight. Did you cover up the fox's scent? We wouldn't want it's mother to come looking for it."

"Yes, I marked the area where the fight took place, and I don't think it's mother was anywhere near," Creekwhisker assured her leader. Sootstar nodded, his head held down in sadness.

But not a moon later, Ashwhisker gave birth to three healthy kits. Creekwhisker thought nothing of it, until Sootstar came to her with some "great" news.

"Creekwhisker, StarClan has sent another prophecy cat to us. They are the true cat destined to become leader. It is Thornkit, Ashwhisker's firstborn daughter!" Sootstar had whispered to her as he spoke with her in his den. Creekwhisker smiled and pretended to feel relieved, but inside she was quite bitter.

_So, StarClan, you're trying again with a new cat? Good luck with that. I'll get rid of each and every cat with a "destiny of leadership" until you finally realize who GrassClan's true next leader is. You can try, Starclan. You can try all you want. But you won't beat me. I will be GrassClan's next leader, like it or not._


End file.
